Oregon Experience

Episode 1

Remember Mulugeta: Confronting Hate in Portland

Mon, Mar 30, 2026

In 1988, neo-Nazi skinheads murdered Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw in Portland, Oregon. This hate crime exposed the violence of white supremacy to the nation and its pervasive spread in the Pacific Northwest. Today, the killing of 28-year-old Seraw has gained added resonance as white supremacy surges back into the national consciousness. Portland in the 1980s was a hotbed of racist skinhead violence. Racist skinheads had been using Portland's punk scene as a recruiting ground to launch violent attacks against young people and members of Portland's Black, Asian and gay communities. After the murder, a determined group of young punks and anti-racist skinheads organized to push the neo-Nazis to push out of the music scene and out of Portland. Mulugeta Seraw's uncle Engedaw Berhanu became a steadfast voice for justice for his nephew. Working with the Southern Poverty Law Center, he filed a landmark civil lawsuit against notorious white supremacist Tom Metzger and his White Aryan Resistance organization for inciting the violence that led to Seraw's death.